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Variation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities along an altitudinal gradient in rupestrian grasslands in Brazil

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Abstract

Variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities is described for the first time in rupestrian grasslands in Brazil along an altitudinal gradient of 700 m (800 to 1400 m a.s.l.). Hypotheses tested were that soil properties influence the variation in AMF communities and that the frequency of the most common species of AMF is inversely influenced by the richness of other AMF. Field and laboratory data were collected on AMF community composition, richness, density, and frequency in the altitudinal gradient, and the relationships with several physical–chemical soil properties and altitude were evaluated. Fifty-one species of AMF were recorded, with 14 species being reported as possibly new to science and nine species representing new records for Brazil. This single elevation gradient alone contains 22 % of the known world diversity of AMF. Soil properties and AMF community density and richness varied significantly along the elevation (p < 0.05). AMF density and richness were higher at the intermediate altitude, while AMF species composition differed statistically among the altitudes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for reading and providing critiques of this manuscript and the trainees of the Ecology and Plant Propagation Laboratory and BG Souza for their support in the field. We would also like thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Rede de Ciência e Tecnologia para Conservação e Uso Sustentável do Cerrado - ComCerrado, the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, and Reserva Vellozia for logistic and financial support. This study was part of ES Coutinho’s MSc at Unimontes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICB/Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva & Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, C. Postal 486, 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Etiene Silva Coutinho & G. Wilson Fernandes

  2. Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    G. Wilson Fernandes

  3. IA/Departamento de Solos, Laboratório de Biologia de Solos, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil

    Ricardo Luís Louro Berbara

  4. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratório de Microbiologia Ambiental, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, C. Postal 126, 39401-089, Montes Claros, MG, Brazil

    Henrique Maia Valério

  5. CB/Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Biologia de Micorrizas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil

    Bruno Tomio Goto

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  1. Etiene Silva Coutinho
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  2. G. Wilson Fernandes
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  3. Ricardo Luís Louro Berbara
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  4. Henrique Maia Valério
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Correspondence to G. Wilson Fernandes.

Electronic supplementary material

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Online Resource 1

Location of the sample areas along the altitudinal gradient in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. (TIFF 737 kb)

High Resolution (GIF 45 kb)

Online Resource 2

Ordination diagram (CCA) of the altitudes (m) (1 = 800 m; 2 = 900 m; 3 = 1000 m; 4 = 1100 m; 5 = 1200 m; 6 = 1300 m; 7 = 1400 m) in relation to the soil variables (V = base saturation; FS = fine sand, T = cation exchange capacity pH = 7; OM = organic matter) and AMF species richness. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of plots at each altitude. (GIF 1697 kb) (TIFF 126 kb)

High Resolution (GIF 1697 kb)

Online Resource 3

Projection of AMF species composition scores from non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) for 91 samples of AMF along an altitude gradient in the rupestrian soil complex of Serra do Cipó, Brazil. (TIFF 152 kb)

High Resolution (GIF 28 kb)

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Coutinho, E.S., Fernandes, G.W., Berbara, R.L.L. et al. Variation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities along an altitudinal gradient in rupestrian grasslands in Brazil. Mycorrhiza 25, 627–638 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-015-0636-5

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